Child of Two Worlds
by V.T. Reaver
Summary: Artemis builds a time portal and out pops a time traveler. Who is it? His half-elven daughter! Artemis wrestles with his feelings for Holly while Holly wrestles with their life and death situation. They all go corralling through time, tweaking events in order to ensure the future. Can this odd family pull together and save the universe? Only time will tell, ha get it :D R&R plz
1. Chapter 1: Pilot

Artemis Fowl moved his fingers across his laptop. The rhythmic sound helped him keep time to Hungarian Rhapsody No2 which was playing in his head. He wrote a few more lines of code into his laptop as the music reached the climatic part in the piece. This recent plot had been the most self serving by far and in many ways the most dangerous. This was nothing to be sneezed at.

Everything had been so dramatic, border-lining on histrionics. It could have been an 80's movie montage. It was because of this strange feeling of urgency that made Artemis feel detached. It was as though nothing bad could happen. He continued to work sometimes against his better nature, and sometimes fervently through the night.

Against the better wishes of the fairy people, Artemis was using his laptop as a control for a massive time stream gate. At the moment the gate was closed, and looked very much large hole in the ground surrounded by concentric metal rings. Artemis felt that this look was better than the cliché time portals in some ridiculous fiction shows.

Artemis felt excitement pulse through his finger tips as he finished up the code. It would create the first viable open ended time stream, or as many an educated man would say, it was a traversable wormhole. Artemis was so glad that he read those papers on quantum mechanics. At the time it seemed frivolous to waste precious days on it when there was gold to be stolen. Now it was the difference between a four dimensional time well and big hole in the ground.

Artemis reached over to a theatrical oversized switch and flipped it. Though he detested the thought of time traveling phone booths, Frankenstein's Tesla coil switch seemed quite reasonable. Artemis had developed a sort of ostentatious flair these past few months while constructing the portal. The gate buzzed to life with periodic whirling. Red sparks began to form in the middle of the portal and grew outward. Of course he didn't expect the worm hole to be stable without a little tinkering. His hand stayed on the keys at all times. He was ready to activate a time stop, or some suspended fairy magic he managed to concoct using mandrake shavings and rice wine. Artemis played with the magnetic fields enclosing the growing wormhole. The metal circles surrounding it rotated in various directions keeping the worm hole exactly circular. Mathematical algorithms printed out on the screen playing the role that an x-ray would on a patient. Artemis calculated it all in his head and typed out instructions accordingly.

Of course it would have been ideal for Artemis to work in a perfectly focused environment. That would have been too much to ask for considering his horrible luck. That's when Artemis noticed a glimmer in the air, and a window that was slightly ajar. He had a visitor. Artemis made a first guess at whom.

"Holly, is that you?" Artemis said looking directly at the waver that could almost be heat glimmer. Holly materialized. She appeared unabashed. Of course they would send her first. They called her the expert but lately she felt more like the babysitter.

"What are you doing?" She said. Though clearly from her tone, she knew exactly what he was doing. Her face was tense as she made her way carefully around the various spinning metallic rings

"Time portals are forbidden" She continued noticing the burgeoning circular red sparks in the center of the rings. She had seen them once before when she traveled back in time to rescue an extinct lemur. Artemis was breaking one of Haven's newest rules. It was created briefly after the lemur event. No time travel, no exceptions.

"Ah that's true. We are not allowed to travel through time anymore. However, that does not mean that no one will ever travel through time. I'm not breaking fairy law, leave me be" Artemis said. It was easier than expected to divide his attention into pacifying Holly while also controlling a mystical vortex.

"This is crazy. You're crazy plans always lead into trouble. Then you have to think your way out, which leads me into nearly dying" Holly continued. Artemis was not moved by that comment. He had worked too long on this, he needed this.

"_But you didn't die_" Artemis wanted to say. Of course that was not entirely true. Holly had died once before during a rip in time space, but Artemis had quickly amended that using nothing but steady counting. Artemis relented and decided to tell Holly the truth about this experiment. Perhaps then she could understand.

"I have searched the entire world over for an intellectual equal with no avail. I should have looked through time. Infinite upon infinity, surely my chances are more than slim. Someone will find my instructions in the future and leap through at any second" Artemis said proudly. He was being entirely truthful. He had combed the known world for someone he could call an equal. Minerva was close, Foaly was even closer, yet they both lacked that spark of intuition, that touch of imagination. There was no one who could understand what it was like to drown and know a million and one ways to breathe. Artemis was lonely.

Holly sighed and stealthily called for some back up. Artemis noticed but didn't seem to care. He looked at the time slip as though his prayers would be answered if only the intensity of his gaze did not waver.

Only nothing came out from the other side. They waited another moment, both tense with anticipation.

"Maybe no one was smart enough to figure out your evil plan" Holly said tersely.

"It's not an evil plan" Artemis replied. He appeared dourer now. With each passing second his equal seemed less likely to appear.

"This is crazy, what if twenty year old you decides to leap through and tell you that he needs an endangered tree frog. Or worse he comes through saying that no one is smart enough to solve your riddles but him... err... you" Holly said, the logic was dizzying. _Only it causes a catastrophic time paradox and the universe to cave in on itself,_Holly added as an afterthought.

"There must be someone, we are looking into infinity. The possibility is endless" Artemis said. Infinity had become a recent mantra to cure the biting loneliness of being the smartest person on earth. The scowl on his mouth seemed adamant but his eyes looked hazy with doubt. What if in the entire universe, in all of time, there was no one who could solve the riddles he set in place? That would mean that he was the smartest creature of all time. The thought made him feel cold. What an understatement! He felt a relentless empty numbness forming in his chest, like his nerves had died in a physiological nuclear winter.

Holly reached for the switch. She was serious about this. Anything could come out of the portal. Alien races could come pouring out and a time paradoxical fashion to take over the earth. Then in hundred years time they would find Artemis' instructions and do it again because they had done it before. But just as Holly was about to close the portal something leaped through. Holly closed the switch off abruptly in case anything else tried to invade their time. Holly was breathing heavily from adrenaline. Her eyes reluctantly focused on the figure standing where the portal had been.

It was a mud whelp no older than fifteen. She looked up at them and Holly felt as though she knew this girl. Holly now focused her eyes a little more on the girl's features. Something was not right. The girl's ears were too pointy to be human yet not enough to be an elf. Artemis calculated this infinitely faster

"What are you?" Artemis asked the girl. She looked at him with a sideways glance. Her expression was stern. Artemis looked back at the girl. She had dark raven hair, and the structure of someone not quite human nor elf. She had a wide intelligent brow and something oddly familiar about her that Artemis could not pinpoint. She was sprawled out like a cat ready to leap. She stayed still for a moment as if she were running calculations in her head. She then decided to stand up and brush herself off. She was taller than an elf could ever hope to be yet the proportions of her body suggested this was not so.

"Who are you?" Holly interrupted. The girl seemed confused at first then something dawned on her.

"Mum?" She said. Her head tilted slightly to the side. She seemed sure now. Her expression gradually went from skeptical to elated.

"What?" Holly blurted. Holly looked at the girl more carefully. This girl did have some of her features. As she studied more closely, the girl's cherub face was so clearly a reflection of her own. Holly's expression went from perplexed to stunned

"You look so young" The girl said bluntly then rushed to embrace Holly. Holly was still in shock and could not suppress it long enough to return the girl's hug.

"What's your name?" Artemis asked. He was excited. It seemed that against all odds, he had an intellectual equivalent. She had solved the various equations he set in different parts of the world, and jumped into his time. Solving them meant that she was as smart as him, perhaps even smarter. Artemis buried hundreds of different disks in various parts of the country. He had hidden the messages in various forms of mathematical formula as well as ancient Egyptian. The girl's name was irrelevant but Artemis surmised that it would be important to know, if they both were to travel across the continent revolutionizing the world. The girl did not answer right away but appeared somewhat amused by the question.

"I'm working on a theory. If I tell you my name then its origin is a loop. But if you can guess it then it's a line" She said with certainty. Artemis understood immediately. Holly cocked her head to the side. The girl looked at Holly's quizzed expression

"If I tell you my name then, it means that you'll name me thusly. It means I've named myself. But if you know my name then its origin comes from you" She clarified. Holly scratched her chin

"But the Holly of your time must have already told you everything that was going to happen? There is no need to theorize" Artemis said. The logic was getting thick

"The future has a lot more rules then you think. You wouldn't believe all the technicalities of time travel" The girl said dismissively. Artemis began to wrack his brain for what these future rules of travel must be. Holly was wondering what she would name her baby. She had thought about it often in the dead of night before she fell asleep.

"Julius" Holly finally said.

"Correct, although I prefer Julie" Julie replied cheerfully. Julie smoothed back her raven hair. Her wide brow seemed very familiar to Artemis. It was like he was itchy but didn't know where to scratch.

"After Commander Root" Artemis said his voice bordering on sentimental. That was what he would name any heir he managed to produce as well. The itch became even stronger.

"Who's this whelp?" Julius said with a sideways glance. Julie clearly didn't know who Artemis was or why he kept butting in on their conversation.

"I'm Artemis Fowl II. We have a lot to discuss. The implications of two people of our intellect are astronomical. We can rewrite this world into anything we please" Artemis said offering his hand. The girl finally looked fully at him. Before she could say anything Artemis finally realized why her eyes looked so startled when he had told her his name. It was her eyes. They were piercing blue, with a mischievousness that could not be erased. He knew who she was.

"Dad" She half-asked. Holly looked at Artemis realizing what was going on, who this girl was. Julie smiled revealing two oddly sharp incisors and everything became so clear

This was their child. They had a child together sometime in the future. Holly looked at Julie. Julie was a child of two worlds. She had his eyes and her chin. She was all that was evil and all that was good. She was intelligent like him, yet strong and formidable like her. She was an anomaly, a paradox, and an enigma. She was the most beautiful girl Holly had ever laid eyes on.


	2. Chapter 2: Blue Rinse

Julie looked at her wrist as though there were some sort of watch there. It was bare and looking at it seemed odd, like she was late for something and had to get there very quickly to get out of a bad conversation. Otherwise everything seemed normal. In fact she seemed quite low tech for someone that just came from the future. Then her wrist activated a small screen which projected itself into to the air. It became apparent that any tech on her was either invisible or grafted in. Artemis was fascinated.

"Excuse the irony but I don't have a lot of time to explain. We have to go now" Julie said adamantly. Holly and Artemis both looked perplexed.

"Once we hit the time stream I will tell you guys everything" Julie continued. She pointed her finger at the portal and it activated by itself without the switch being on. In one fluid motion she pulled them both and herself into the portal.

Holly felt the familiar bliss of being out of time. She felt the urge to meld into the time stream and be lost forever until her daughter began to speak. A mental conversation between the three of them began. It was quite odd to be swirling through time holding hands.

"Stay strong mum, we have a lot to do" Julie said

"Where are we going?" Holly asked

"To the first spark, were it all began" Julie replied

"That's a little vague" Artemis said

"You were mind wiped at the age of ten. But in order for everything to come to pass, you must have a dream" Julie explained

Artemis recalled that dream, it was after the whole lemur affair. It was the first encounter with the People and his future self. Of course he had been wiped and all that was left was the remnants of an epic adventure they had.

"You aren't going to have that dream, unless I lift the wool a little. No1's magic is potent, any memories would surely be lost" Julie said

"How can you possibly know that" Artemis asked. Julie didn't answer with words. Artemis suddenly found that he was inside a scene. Julie was searching in the library at Fowl manor.

Artemis quickly noted how his mansion changed, there was clear evidence that a half fairy child lived here. Books in Gnomish were strewn on the floor along with family pictures lining the shelves. One picture surprised Artemis the most. There was dusty frame hanging on the wall depicting a forty something Artemis with a two year old toddler in his lap. Holly was sitting with her legs crossed while holding a Rubik's cube in the picture. A wave of emotions hit Artemis. He felt a great joy that he had a family that was so warm, yet sad that he seemed much older than everyone else in the picture.

Artemis tore his eyes from the wall and watched the scene progress. Julie had found something, a tiny book with various dates and a few instructions. However some of the ink had faded leaving much to the imagination

4/15/2001 – Dad must have a dream. Hinder the warlock's spell

6/23/2001 – Dad visits Cairo… stop… fairy

8/1/2001 – Dad is in Ho Chi Minh … Mesmer…

11/23/2001 – Dad meets Mom

"How long have you been doing this" Artemis asked

"I haven't started yet, I need you both in order to verify the memories" Julie said. Artemis felt instantly that was true, otherwise Julie would have been able to recognize him. But how did she recognize Holly so quickly. It had taken her forever to realize who he was.

"Mom lived longer than you. By the time I was born, you were already in your twenties" Julie explained

"Do you mean that Artemis died when you were young" Holly said. She felt a sharp sense of dread. Julie seemed reluctant

"Yes" Julie continued. Holly configured a list of gruesome deaths Artemis might have gone through. Artemis figured out what she meant already.

"No… it's not like that, he died of old age. Fairies live very long compared to humans, and I live very long compared to fairies. By the time I was seventy. I was only biologically seven by human standards when Dad passed on" Julie explained.

"Isn't it against the rules to tell us this?" Holly said aghast

"I can tell you anything as long as …" Julie began

"You mind wipe us later" Artemis finished. Julie confirmed this.

"You mean we won't remember anything" Holly said sadly. She would not remember her daughter which made her feel quite melancholy.

"It's the rules, otherwise you might jeopardize the future" Julie continued.

"I doubt any one could destroy the future, everything that has happened must happen" Artemis said smugly hiding his own sadness. It was a lot to learn that he would die before his daughter turned eight… err … eighty

"Focus, we need to get to the beginning. We must make sure the future exists" Julie commanded all of the sudden.

"Dad, I need you to think about the dream you had. We need to get there" Julie pressed. Artemis felt odd being called dad. Artemis pulled together and began focusing on the dream.

Suddenly they were ejected from the time steam. At first it was disorienting like the feeling after you've spun around too fast. They found themselves inside Fowl Manor of the past. But something seemed wrong. Julie looked at her bare wrist again. It flashed a date and time in a neon green color that seemed reminiscent of classic time bomb counters.

11/24/2001 6:29PM

"This isn't the right day, we are months off" Julie said. Her expression was tense, she didn't like when things didn't go to plan.

"Should we try again?" Holly said.

"I'm not sure, what going on right now" Julie replied. Suddenly some footsteps echoed in the hallway. Julie grabbed Holly and Artemis hands. Sparks of dark blue magic engulfed the three of them, making them invisible. Holly was in awe at how potent the magic was. Being invisible usually was very uncomfortable due to the vibrations. However, Holly felt no such vibrations but was sure she was invisible due to her lack of visible hands.

A young Artemis appeared in the hall. He was walking through the hallway into the kitchen very nearly brushing against Julie. Had there been even a slight glimmer of heat, young Artemis might have noticed but the magic Julie used was powerful and flawless.

"Now we should celebrate" young Artemis said. "Some Champagne I think". Julie felt Artemis hands tighten around hers. She felt him emanating stress, as if those few words from Artemis the younger rekindled space and time.

Butler and his younger sister Juliet followed young Artemis into the kitchen. Juliet looked at her big brother

"Is this OK" Juliet asked, obviously about the underage drinking.

Artemis the elder felt they were safe out of hearing range, he whispered into Julie's ear.

"This is moments before the LEP blue rinse the entire manor" Artemis said. "We should fall asleep like them, or else were doomed".

This was the day Artemis had stolen one ton of gold in exchange for Holly's freedom. He had kept half of it, and even that was too much for the LEP to justify. They decided to kill them all in order to reclaim the stolen gold. However, Artemis had devised a clever way to survive. He would put them to sleep in order change their state of being, and thus tricking the blue rinse.

"I think I know why we're here now. Sleeping doesn't actually save people from the rinse" Julie explained as quietly as possible. They watched Artemis the younger sink into slumber along with his bodyguards.

"We are supposed to save you" Julie said.

"I suppose that in the future the blue rinse is more thoroughly tested on sleeping humans" Artemis said with a slight edge. He was sore. His plan had not worked after all. It was whatever happened now that would save them.

"That's barbaric" Holly said. Human testing could not be the future!

"No, we don't do human testing. It was just proven a while back that blue rinse targets brain waves rather than states of being. A tin foil hat would do you more good than falling asleep" Julie quickly said. She pulled Artemis and Holly into the kitchen. Artemis felt odd looking at a younger version of him lying unconscious.

"Hold on to my shoulders" Julie ordered. They complied, each placing unnecessarily strong grip on either shoulder. Julie arranged her free hands so that her thumb and index fingers formed a triangle. She blinked a few times and blue sparks filled her eyes. She muttered something to herself. A slow bubble formed around all of them, it felt like soap as it maneuvered around their figures.

It was then that the blue rinse swept across Fowl Manor. It was an eerily light that kill everything in the house, all the vermin at least. Artemis could hear the faint squealing of terrified mice. Then the glow disappeared and Julie released the barrier. A bead of sweat rolled down her face, as she exhaled.

"What was that?' Holly said trying to calm down. Her forehead was equally sweaty

"It's a time stop, only without several powerful warlocks and huge amounts of machinery" Artemis said impressed.

"You have a lot to learn about the half-elven species" Julie said cheerfully. Holly on the other hand seemed tense

"We'll have to wipe the footage that we were here" Holly said thoughtfully. She was also impressed with the time stop yet felt anxious. Did her daughter really have to put herself in constant danger just to make sure that time was paradox free?

"No worries. I have this scrambler " Julie replied pointing at her bare wrist. The action made her seem quite crazy. But the two of them were catching on. All the gadgets seemed to be on a small spot on her wrist.

"Like the scrambler I made?" Artemis asked looking at Julie's bare wrist as if something were actually there.

"Not exactly, it smarter than that, it puts video on continuous feed and actively detects cameras in appropriate viewing areas. It doesn't just make it white noise" Julie said smugly. It was obvious this modified scrambler was her invention.

"It's time to go" Julie said taking hold of Holly and Artemis again.

"But how are we going to go, there's no wormhole in sight" Artemis said.

"Don't worry, I've got a tether on the wormhole back in your time" Julie said simply as thought that was all the information required. She looked at her empty wrist again, and suddenly a worm hole blossomed in the middle of the kitchen floor. Suddenly Artemis and Holly found themselves corralling in the time stream again.

"This is going to be the biggest adventure in my life" Artemis thought as the time stream pulled around him. It was just a strong statement, considering how adventurous his life had been so far. Yet despite the odds, infinite upon infinity, he was right.


	3. Chapter 3: Machinations

Artemis Fowl linked hands with Julie and Holly. A question burned in his mind. What would Holly become to him in the future? Were they merely partner scientists combining DNA? Perhaps they had struck some sort of '_if I'm thirty and you're a hundred_' deal. Maybe it was what lurked in the confines of his subconscious too dangerous to make it to the surface. A metamorphosis started as soon as he laid eyes on Holly. It was a classic Pinocchio story. He changed from a ruthless wooden trafficker into a boy with genuine integrity. It seemed likely that in the future he would grow to love Holly, and their love would culminate into a child. Julie had been listening into his thoughts which he forgot to retain.

"I don't think I'm comfortable relinquishing that information. Is there anything else you want to know?" Julie said. Artemis racked his mind for something else that could be useful. He put that question aside for now along with all the other clues he accumulated. He was slowly putting together their future as one would put together a jigsaw puzzle. Now if only he could find something analogous to puzzle glue.

"What's that apparatus in your wrist, maybe we should stop by your time and get a few of those things" Artemis asked. Artemis intentionally hid his real intentions about the wrist apparatus.

"No can do, bringing people past the length of their lifetime is strictly forbidden" Julie replied

"But going back to a time before you're birth is totally legal…" Artemis accused. He wanted one of those wrist attachments enough to guilt trip his daughter.

"No… I suppose as hard as we try the Fowls never really go legit" Julie admitted throwing the guilt back in his direction. It stung

"It would help our cause, if all of us had some of that tech. Perhaps it could even save our lives. Let's just try, if it happens then it's meant to happen" Holly said.

"Mum… I think that's the first time you've ever agreed with Dad" Julie mused. Then she sighed signaling her defeat.

"Shall we focus on the future then" Artemis suggested. Julie knew they couldn't really do that. Left to their own devices they would never make it.

"You guys just keep your minds locked on mine, I'll locate the correct time and place" Julie said. Julie sent out images of her time into the stream.

The time stream ejected them into a strange floating glass cube over a vast ocean. The floors, walls and ceiling were all made of the same clear glass. The sky seemed surreal though, there was light but no sun or clouds where the sun could hide.

"Where are we?" Holly said looking out the sides of the cube. It was miles of ocean everywhere they looked. There was not a speck of land on any horizon. There was no wisp or white or brown to cut the seas of blue. Holly was sure they were lost.

"Oh, don't worry about the walls. That's just holograms. We're in my office in Times Square" Julie said casually as she opened a drawer. She pulled out two iridescent cases, that would look like ring boxes if not for the color. She gave one to each of her parents. Holly held it gingerly in her hands. She wondered briefly what it would like to be presented one of these in black. Then she realized what her daughter said.

"If you're in Times Square… it means you're on the surface, how is that possible?" Holly asked. Artemis took in the scene. This tidbit of information had extraordinary implications. His oversized intellect went into overdrive.

If she had an office on the surface, it could mean one of two things. She disguised herself as human or global cross species acclimatizing had occurred. Also, it seemed that Times Square was intact in the future, meaning that New York probably still existed. This meant that global warming had not swallowed up Manhattan after all. What wonderful news!

Holly looked quizzically at them both. No one had answered her question for a full minute. Julie scanned the parameters on her computer before looking back up to meet her mother's gaze. She looked a little too edgy for the lines she was about to deliver.

"Things are different now. Humans and Fairies share the surface. Sometimes things get a little polemical but for the most part we've all learned to live together" Julie explained. Artemis took in this information with great relish. He surmised the next step in a cross species world. Why not, it had happened with Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.

"Then there must be more like you? Half-elven people..." Artemis asked as he looked out into the ocean abyss. Perhaps Fairies and Humans were not so incompatible after all.

"Yes and no… I'm still the only one of my kind" Julie said uncomfortably "Others have tried but their offspring do not survive. One made it to a toddler before having an aneurism.

Julie paused briefly as if she were recalling a very painful event. Then she continued when she was sure her voice wouldn't break.

"I think it's because you both are neither human nor fairy. Your eyes are switched along with bits of DNA. On the bright side, pixies and dwarfs have managed a few kids" Julie ended in a half-hearted joke

Artemis doubted that could be a bright side for anything. His overactive imagination quickly out put a couple of Koboi Mulch kids into his mind. It was hideous.

Holly was more preoccupied with the 'neither human nor fairy' part. She flexed her fingers. They felt like a fairy's fingers. She didn't felt any different after she switched eyes with Artemis. She couldn't really be 'not really a fairy' could she? Yet doubt pooled in her mind. Had time travel really tainted her this much?

Artemis studied every detail of the office. He wanted to know everything because it could all be useful later on. A shiny golden plaque was nailed to the front of an ergonomic desk. It read "Julius Coral Fowl, The People's Ambassador". Artemis ran various scenarios on what that could mean. Most prominently was that her daughter seemed pretty well off due the sheer size of this office. Secondly, if her daughter was a diplomat then the People still considered themselves a separate nation apart from humanity. He wondered if they still used the term mud man or had it gone out of political favor like Oriental had for Asians.

"When humans finally discovered fairies, it must have been chaotic" Artemis began listing his most probable theory. Julie caught on quickly.

"I wasn't made to quell a cross species war" Julie said tersely.

"Made?" Artemis asked "You mean you weren't born?"

"Stop with the questions, it's not good to know too much about the future" Julie said annoyed. Artemis finally ceased his piercing blue-hazel gaze. He would file everything that Julie said for later pondering. Julie signaled for them each to open their boxes. Inside was a strange pulsating clear disk the size of dime. The disk seemed alive, and had something like an electric blue nerve running through the middle of it.

"Just attach it to your wrist or palm" Julie instructed. Holly carefully picked the tiny gelatin disk up and placed it on her wrist. It gradually melted into her skin leaving no trace that it had ever existed. She waited for a moment then a strange semi transparent screen appeared before her eyes. It was a screen that only she saw. She blinked a few more times but the screen remained in the air about three feet from her vision at all times.

"Do you see the screen yet" Julie asked looking at her mother rapidly blink.

"Yes, what do I do now?" Holly asked. Julie gently picked up her mother's hand and placed their wrists together. The semi-transparent screen suddenly printed out some words.

"Accept incoming information?" It read

"How do I say yes?" Holly said. The screen suddenly began filling with files, as though she had said yes.

"You just have to think it" Julie replied. Artemis looked into empty space. Obviously this gelatin disk was some sort of bio meshed nano wafer, one that used organs as hardware. He put it on his wrist, and watched it melt into his skin.

"This is ingenious, who invented this?" Artemis asked thoughtfully. He secretly wished that he'd be the one to make this someday. It certainly would be in his mental capabilities. What would make a good base material though? Capacitors were too big, nano bots maybe? Perhaps it was a new species of hyper minuscule organic cells.

"Not only is it ingenious, it's also very expensive. Uncle Myles invented it back in the sixties. Well I guess it's debatable. He was the person who designed the blue prints dated back in 2062. He was hoping technology would evolve and that someone would eventually be able to produce one. In his day, Pico-bots were inconceivable. Turns out the secret was organic rather than not. Once they figured that part out, it was possible to make some prototypes. The first one was engineered by Dr. Lillian Foaly." Julie explained in a tour guide manner. Artemis internally sighed, so he had not been the one to create this. Instead it was his resourceful baby brother. Somehow that was alright as well.

A semi-transparent screen appeared in Artemis' vision. He wondered if he could write some programs. He focused on programming. The screen remained blank. English wasn't the right language to program in. Julie said a Foaly made the chip. Perhaps ancient Centaurian would work. Suddenly a blank file sprung up accepting the thoughts Artemis composed. The base code was Centaurian but the interface seemed to be English rather than Gnomish. What an interesting method for distinguishing programmers and user.

"Dad, we don't have time for you to write programs" Julies said gauging her father's expression. His eyes seemed to move across emptiness. A vein was pulsating at his temple, something Julie remembered as a child. It meant dad was pensive. She took her father's hand and placed her wrist on top of his. His program saved itself and moved into a little icon on the top corner of the screen.

"Yes, accept" Artemis thought. Streams of information and odd programs filled the screen. One of the icons read 'Time-Line Surmised'. That one was probably a very important file. Another file read 'Wormhole Tether' that would be equally useful. One interesting file had the title of 'Collapse indicators' that sounded morbid. One icon read 'Chat' so some things never changed. The final one read 'Family photos'. That made Artemis very curious.

"Oops, didn't mean to transfer that one" Julie said pulling her wrist away. _Sometimes the bio-mech integrator read subconscious intentions rather than conscious one_. It was such an annoying bug in the mechanism

Artemis was happy though. He allowed himself a smile, his vampire incisors making their theatric appearance. Artemis had gained the upper hand on this adventure. He had all this information and all this technology. He could finally do something about this situation. Who said one could not control his destiny? He would remember, no matter the cost and despite the impossibility, he would remember.


	4. Chapter 4: Always

**Brooklyn** - April 15th 3141 7:59 AM

A small stream of sunlight poured into an otherwise dark room. A gentle breeze blew in from the window, making the sunlight dance playfully on the floor. Julie liked these moments the most. It was that instance of blissful oblivion before the world came crashing down on her shoulders again.

Her alarm clock usually blared SPARK, which was a radio for fairies by fairies. However due to the high technology in every device, her alarm clock remembered her birthday for her. The alarm clock played happy birthday using the tones of a xylophone. It was beyond annoying. Julie quickly rolled over with a groan and smashed her alarm clock into silence.

Today Julie was one thousand one hundred and thirty two. She was the oldest creature on the planet, and constantly being attacked by deranged historians. Julie looked into the mirror, and the same face for a thousand years looked back at her. She still had trouble recognizing it.

"How long am I going to be fifteen" Julie thought for the hundred thousandth time. The answer became more obvious and horrifying as the years passed. She would be this way forever. She would never die. She was left to languish for all eternity? Why was she put on this earth?

A shiny badge slept on the bed side table. It read "The People's Ambassador". She sighed. Was this the reason she was made. She was to be a buffer between two species. No! she was sure that wasn't it. Her father and mother loved each other. Yet it seemed harder and harder to remind herself. There image faded every day. Their smiles seemed like the leftovers of a dream. They were both long gone. Both were lost in peaceful oblivion. Julie opened the curtains. The sun blazed in full force.

Julie felt like a fraud. The People's main plight was to remember their suffering. Fairies were forced to live underground for several millennia. Julie represented the People yet she had never spent a day off the surface. Julie put on her suit which felt stiff around the neck. She wondered how her father always wore suits, even in the summer. Of course he wore casual brown loafers on Fridays. Still his demeanor always seemed excessively polished to Julie.

Her father, Artemis Fowl II, was barely a blip in her long existence. Yet for some reason today, she recalled him, maybe her birthday made her more sentimental. Perhaps she should visit their resting place today. Her mother had died five hundred years ago, and her last wishes were that she and her father's ashes be encased side by side. Strengthened by that that thought, Julie pinned on her badge. She was the People's Ambassador.

**Fowl Manor** – February 13th 2513

When The People moved to the surface, the overall pollution level fell drastically. New technology revolutionized industry. Yet the low amounts of pollution which humans required to survive drastically cut the lifespan of fairies. Holly thought she would live to nine hundred but here she lay on her dying bed at the young age of five hundred and eighty four.

In the recent weeks Holly's memories seemed elusive. She had asked her daughter about their trip to Ho Chi Minh with her father. Julie scoffed it off as one of the symptoms of her mother's failing mind. Holly stirred in her drug induced state. She wondered if Julie would come see her. Her daughter always seemed busy. She was recently elected as the People's ambassador. Holly had big dreams for her daughter. A diplomat fell short of her hopes.

A whirl of a transporter echoed in the hall. The transporter had just been newly perfected. Holly was not use to the sound. Holly tried to sit up. She briefly wondered what all the noise was. Then she smiled with clarity. Her daughter came after all. She heard quick footsteps coming closer.

"Hey Mum, how are you feeling today?" Julie asked as she entered the threshold. Her daughter had flushed cheeks. She'd been rushing. She wore a heavy winter coat. It was odd. The weather was quite mild in Ireland.

"I just came from Manhattan. It was a rough day at the Bureau" Julie continued. She took off her coat threw it to a hook by the door. She stripped off her scarf, hat and gloves as well.

"I'm fine sweetie, just thinking about old times" Holly said from her bed. Her mother was so small compared to her. Julie took another breath. Then she sat by her mother's side. She knew that her mother would start rambling. Julie was jaded. She had heard tons of old adventures. Her mother and father had apparently saved the world, thrice. It seemed to happen right on cue.

"You're father and I waited for you at the kerbside Café on Dong Khai Street" Holly began. Julie felt her body tense. It was another story about Ho Chi Minh. It was one of her impossible stories. She hated these the most

"Are you thirsty mum? Would you like some tea?" Julie said. She was unashamed to interrupt. Holly paused. She forgot what she was saying.

"That would be lovely sweetie" Holly finally said. If Julie had not interrupted perhaps she would gotten some critical information. In fact Holly was not losing her mind, but regaining it. A long forgotten past was resurfacing as Holly drowned.

Julie walked steadily towards the kitchen. Her mother's imminent death was too much for her. She needed a moment. She turned to the manor library for a breather. Julie pushed open the door. She stood there for a moment trying to remain calm. Images from every corner seemed to assault her. Pictures of an evanescently happy family hung on the wall. She looked into the frames. There was the figure of her father she barely remembered.

"Breathe" She told herself. She suddenly cleared a shelf. Her arm swung widely. Books came crashing down violently. It was oddly satisfying. Julie was ready to do it again. Then she spotted a small book. It was mixed in with the heavy volumes. She bent down to open it.

Inside was a timeline with some instructions about what to do on those dates. It was a map of time, and it was in her hand writing. Holly remembered what she wanted to tell her daughter now. But it looked like she would never get to say it. She seemed content though, as her vision started to fade. Suddenly she knew her time was up. She flat lined.

**Brooklyn** - April 15th 3141 8:04 AM

Due her mother's sudden death, Julie had forgotten about the book for a long time. Every time she thought about the book, it reminded her of her mother's death. Julie never forgave herself. She had not believed in her mother's stories. Finally she forgot about the book all together.

"That's right. There was some sort of time book. Where did I do with it? After the funeral, I remember that I had it" Julie thought.

She made her way to work already. It wouldn't be here in her office. She knew herself. She must have made a copy sometime in the past five hundred years. She opened up a digital screen with her bio wafer.

"Search for Time Line" She thought. The screen filled with various different answers.

"Linear Time Theory, New York Times: Enron Flat Lines …" The screen read. The search was too broad.

"Search files for Time Line" She thought. The screen had one single icon on it now.

"Time Line Surmised" It read. This was it.

She looked around her office. Work was the last thing on her mind. She called up her assistant Kelly using the wafer. It rang for a moment. Then the screen projected a live feed of Kelly at her station. Kelly seemed apathetic as usual. Her thick frames hid her eyes, which was in opposition to her child like pixy face.

"Ambassador Fowl, what can I do for you today?" Kelly said in her cool voice.

"What do I have on my schedule today?" Julie asked

"You have a conference in France at ten, Atlantis is expecting you to attend a fundraiser at two..." Kelly said.

"Cancel it all, I'm taking a day off. It's my birthday" Julie interrupted

"You want the day off?" Kelly asked. Every employee was entitled to days off, especially on their birthday. It was strange for Kelly though, since in the twenty years she worked for Julie she had never had a day off. In fact Julie had never taken a day off period.

"Yes, cancel all my meetings" Julie confirmed. Today she felt was the day. But what was it the day for? Julie looked at the transporter in the corner of her office that resembled a shower stall. Today was the day to go back.

Julie used her bio wafer to reprogram the transporter. If she were an ordinary person this would have taken years rather than hours. Julie pondered over the various blocks that popped up. She mentally typed up a storm in overrides. She was going back in time, but it would be extremely difficult considering it was hard to visualize a place you had never been to. Julie channeled the stories her mother use to tell her. The feeling was rustic with a touch of imagination, like sprinkles on otherwise plain vanilla ice cream.

Julie realized that some hard rewiring might be in order. She used magic to pop open the base plate. Rather than wires, there were tiny slivers of semiconducting material over an insulating chip. It was impossible to work on without a special set of tools. Julie reached into her desk for her soldering gun. It was a slightly outdated model. This would have to do. After a few more hours Julie finally broke the last of the defenses and the transporter was open for time travel

A song came into Julie's mind, Hungarian Rhapsody No2. She felt as though she heard this song before. An odd feeling coursed through her. Then she was pulled into the portal.

She listened to the song while spinning through the time stream. Usually with the transporter, one would only spend half a second in the time stream. She was there for what seemed like an eternity. It was an odd feeling. At first she wanted to disappear into the stream. She had lived for a long time, perhaps it would be better to just let go. Lovely blissful oblivion awaited her, yes today was the day she would die. Yet something teased her back, it was an itch that kept her anchored. She also wanted to hear the end of the song. When it played out in its entirety she felt herself fall back into time.

"Who are you?" A strangely familiar Fairy asked. Julie realized that she was sprawled out like cat. Her whole body felt tingly. Where was she? Her eyes shifted around.

"This is Fowl Manor, but what time am I at?" Julie thought. Julie got up and looked at the strange elf woman. She was very familiar. Julie added a few lines to the elf's face, a few crow's feet, and happy smile lines on her cheeks. The elf in front of her morphed into the person she loved most in the world.

"Mum?"

An overwhelming joy engulfed Julie. It was a sweet relief. She felt her heart rise in her chest with miraculous fullness. Her mother was alive!


End file.
